A shuttlecock is badminton's projectile — an open cone of 16 feathers (or a nylon skirt) set in a rounded cork base — and its shape is why badminton plays nothing like tennis. This covers what a shuttle is made of, the BWF weight and feather specs, feather versus plastic shuttles, why it always flies cork-first and decelerates so fast, and the speed-rating numbers printed on the tube.
